Local Students Travel to DC, New York

On June 13, 40 people sporting La Grange Leopards t-shirts stepped off of a tour bus into the middle of Washington DC, ready to explore the city and then adventure into the Big Apple.

Melody McKee, teacher at La Grange Middle School, recently led her third summer tour group through EF Tours. Kids and adults from the community joined McKee on a five-day exploration of D.C. and New York City, packing as many sites as possible into the journey.

“Every year we visit the same two cities, yet every tour is different,” said McKee. “This year we even stopped in Philadelphia on the way from D.C. to NYC which wasn’t even on the original itinerary. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and had a real Philly cheesesteak at Reading Terminal Market. The kids loved it.”

Besides being an exciting adventure, the tours offer students a real-world learning experience that cannot be found inside the classroom.

“I started leading these trips because I want my students to experience the things they learn about in school,” said McKee. “Seeing the United States Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery, or the Statue of Liberty in a textbook is one thing, but being able to experience and see these places in person changes you. For some students, this is the first time they have been on an airplane, experienced staying in a hotel, riding the subway. I want every single student to be able to experience.”

One of McKee’s highlights from this summer’s tour was taking the group to see a Broadway production.

“One of the favorites this year was seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.

Even those who aren’t Harry Potter fans LOVED the production. It was incredible.” McKee will be leading another group to NY and DC in the summer of 2023. Enrollment is $95 which goes toward the total cost. For more information about future tours, contact Melody McKee at melody.mckee@gmail.com.